Synthetic and Complex Media for the Rapid Detection of Fluorescence of Phytopathogenic Pseudomonads: Effect of the Carbon Source

Abstract

Fluorescence is of diagnostic value for differentiating among species of aerobic pseudomonads (R. Y. Stanier, N. J. Palleroni, and M. Doudoroff, J. Gen. Microbiol. 43:159, 1966). The standard medium for detecting fluorescence is Medium B (E. 0. King, M. K. Ward, and D. E. Raney, J. Lab. Clin. Med. 44:301, 1954), which supports fluorescent pigment production of most pseudomonads tested (0. Jessen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other green fluorescent pseudomonads, A taxonomic study, Munksgaard, Copenhagen, 1965; R. Y. Stanier et al., J. Gen. Microbiol. 43:159, 1966). Minerals (J. V. King, J. J. R. Campbell, and B. A. Eagles, Can. J. Res. C 26:514, 1948), amino acids (J. De Ley, Ann. Rev. Microbiol. 18:17, 1964), and peptones (E. 0. King et al., J. Lab. Clin. Med. 44:301, 1954) affect fluorescence. The effect of carbon sources had not been shown. Although glycerol, glucose, or maltose can be used interchangeably in Medium B for detecting fluorescence of most fluorescent pseudomonads, this report shows that these carbon sources are not equivalent for phytopathogenic pseudomonads.